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Artist Spotlight: Leah Lovett

Leah Lovett from our Old Manor Park Library studios in Newham recently showcased Project Platform with Lloyd Jeans, an exciting evening of experimental music inspired by sounds of the railway, created by local artists. Find out more about the project below, and keep an eye out for future performances as well as their upcoming album!

Lloyd Jeans and Leah Lovett

Project Platform

2016

Project Platform is an interdisciplinary, collaborative project, conceived and led by artists Lloyd Jeans and Leah Lovett, which takes the rhythms of the railway and Newham’s rich and diverse music scene as its departure point. Five Newham-based artists/artist duos were commissioned via open submission to respond to one of the five legs of the new Crossrail journey, from Liverpool Street – Ilford. In journey order, they are Lindsay West & James Russo, -hyfn (Sebastian Hau-Walker), Rob DesRoches & Stew Simpson, OMPL studio-holder Sally Labern and Paddy Conn. Together, these artists have created a set of experimental sound and music the same duration as the train ride.

The artist responses span a range of styles, influences and artistic concerns, with the acoustic journey moving from lulling folk, via samples of Newham’s own Iron Maiden and Michael Nymen, to the beats of women commuters and the station clock.

The first outing of Project Platform took place on 22 September at Coffee7, Forest Gate, with live music by the Platform Band (Grace Banks, Alain Man, Prithpal Singh and the artists), alongside video responses by Sally Labern and Rob DesRoches & Stew Simpson. The band wore costumes created by Veronica Jeans with fabric donated by MTR-Crossrail. The small venue was packed out, and the audience responses overwhelmingly positive: “fantastic,” “totally brilliant,” “freaky deaky,” “definitely needs a vinyl recording,” “can’t wait for the next leg”…

The journey is set to continue! Project Platform is being recorded and produced by Nick Trepka for release as a concept album by the end of 2016. There will also be further live performances across Newham, as well as a series of community and schools workshops by the participating artists, to be announced in 2017.

Project Platform is generously supported by Coffee7, the Estate of Mary Eileen Jeans, Newham Council and MTR-Crossrail.